On Friday 17 October, the European ministers for equality and social affairs will meet in the ‘Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs’ Council (EPSCO). Discussions will focus on violence against women and domestic violence.
Violence against women and domestic violence. The ministers are expected to approve conclusions aimed at implementing the first directive to combat domestic violence and violence against women (see EUROPE 13431/33), which came into force in June 2024.
To achieve this, three areas of action have been identified: prevention, early detection and intervention (see EUROPE 13724/20).
This includes tackling the problem of under-reporting, as well as improving training for health, education, justice and social care professionals.
Supporting women’s economic autonomy, recognising children living in violent environments as victims and improving cooperation between professionals and civil society are also among the priorities that the European Commission is urged to include in its future equality strategies.
LGBTIQ+ rights. Just over a week after the Commission presented its new LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy (2026-2030) (see EUROPE 13726/1), and with more than one in three LGBTIQ+ people expected to be victims of discrimination, according to figures published by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights in 2024 (see EUROPE 13410/29), European ministers will hold an exchange of views on how to combat hatred, discrimination and violence against LGBTIQ+ people.
Discussions will be guided by the sharing of best practice and recommendations for further measures to be taken, both for the protection and for the well-being of LGBTIQ+ people and their families.
Towards greater recognition of the concept of consent. Lunch will be devoted to an informal debate on measures to be taken at EU level to combat sexual violence and promote consent in sexual relationships.
Including this concept in a European definition of rape met with resistance from certain Member States during the discussions leading up to the 2024 directive.
As the text was published without mentioning it, even though such a definition was supported by Parliament and proposed by the European Commission, calls - especially from MEPs - to reconsider this issue are multiplying.
Examples include the draft own-initiative report by Social Democrats Evin Incir (Swedish) and Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus (Polish) (see EUROPE 13715/28) and the own-initiative report on the future post-2025 European strategy for equality between women and men by Marko Vešligaj (S&D, Croatian), adopted on 14 October by the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (see EUROPE 13730/29).
Rights of people with disabilities. In the second part of the day, it is expected that conclusions for the social inclusion of people with disabilities by promoting independent living will be approved.
An exchange of views will take place on the rights of people with disabilities in the EU, focusing on challenges, progress and future directions. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)